Olentangy Orange edges Dublin Jerome for OHSAA Division I girls soccer regional title
Olentangy Orange 1, Dublin Jerome 0
Kaelyn Valleau again came up big and coach Tim Lawrence earned his 400th career victory as Orange edged fourth-ranked Jerome in a Division I regional final Nov. 5 at Marysville.
The Pioneers improved to 19-1-3 and advanced to face Cincinnati Seton in a state semifinal Nov. 8 at Centerville. The Saints (16-3-1) defeated eighth-ranked and defending state champion Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame 4-3 in their regional final.
“What a game, and we knew with the 30 mph wind that it would be a tale of two halves,” said Lawrence, who also coached the Westerville North girls program from 1989-2011. “The thing is we had the wind to start, and in the second half against the wind we could still play our style, keeping it close to the ground and keeping the ball.”
Valleau scored with 15 minutes to play, continuing her strong postseason. She leads Orange in scoring with 22 goals and 13 assists, including the decisive goal in a 1-0 win over Olentangy Berlin on Nov. 1 in a regional semifinal.
“On the goal, I had a little bit of time and I knew the ball was in the air so I had to wait for the good bounce,” Valleau said. “I just wanted to try to volley it into the corner (of the net), and that’s where it went. I just had to time it right."
Orange goalie Jadia Kershaw had six saves for her second consecutive shutout and 15th of the season, adding to her program record.
“We knew coming in that most of their goals this year were by their outside forwards getting in line and slotting it back,” she said. “Their corners are very dangerous so our main goal was to keep them from getting in line, keeping them wide. (Junior defender) Bella (Leonetti) did a great job of that.”
Goalie Hayden Stoner had 10 saves for the Celtics, who finished 17-2-1.
“The wind made it hard to communicate,” Jerome coach Georgi Petrov said. “You have to adjust and play short. Both teams adjusted to the wind. We had a couple shots hit the crossbar and a couple of calls didn’t go our way, but that happens.”
Division III
Lynchburg-Clay 1, Grandview Heights 0
The Bobcats came up short in their first regional final appearance since 2017, falling to Lynchburg-Clay at Logan.
Kaylyn Rich’s free kick from 35 yards out found Autumn Wilkins in the box, and she tapped in the game’s only goal with 23:47 left in the second half.
The Mustangs (20-1-1) took advantage of blustery conditions with the wind carrying Rich’s kick within striking distance.
“I think we just got into our own heads in terms of the moment (of playing in a regional final),” Grandview coach Bre Dominach said. “I’m proud of this team. We just needed to connect a little better on our shots in the first half.”
The Bobcats (15-4-2) had seven shots on goal in the first half to just one for the Mustangs, but were unable to convert. In the second half, they played into the wind.
“We needed to capitalize on those moments,” said Dominach, whose team also lost to the Mustangs 1-0 on Sept. 24. “I think we might have had some shots, but we weren’t connecting that well. Our first touch was off a bit.”
Lynchburg-Clay will play top-ranked Cincinnati Country Day in a state semifinal Nov. 8 at Loveland. The Nighthawks (17-5) defeated third-ranked Kettering Alter 1-0 in their regional final.
shennen@thisweeknews.com
@ThisWeekHennen
This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Orange edges Jerome for Division I girls soccer regional title
